After Sono’s first career win
Professional basketball’s Seoul SK showed off its championship credentials with a three-game winning streak to open the season.
Behind Jamil Warney and veteran shooter Heo Il-young, SK defeated Goyang Sono 90-79 on Thursday at the Goyang Sono Arena in the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Organization (KOB).
With its opening three-game winning streak, SK has moved into sole possession of first
place in the standings, ahead of the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis (two wins).
Warney, who won the Foreign Player Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the second
straight year, was at the center of the victory with 30 points and 17 rebounds. It was his
second double-double in three games since the start of the season.
Shooter Heo Il-young
chipped in with 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. She added three three-
pointers. Guard Kim Sun-hyung added 12 points and eight assists.
Sono rattled SK’s nerves with a pair of crafty 3-pointers from shooter Jeon Sung-hyun,
but fell behind in the fourth quarter. With their second straight loss to open the season,
they will have to wait until next week to report their first win.
Jeon Sung-hyun scored 27 points, including six 3-pointers, but could not smile in defeat.
SK jumped out to a 23-15 lead in the first quarter behind Warney. Warney had a
breakout game with 11 points and five rebounds.
However, SONO began to pull away in the second quarter with a three-pointer from
Jeon Sung-hyun. Jeon hit three three-pointers in the second quarter alone, neutralizing SK’s defense.
SK allowed the lead to slip away but rested Warney for 10 minutes in the second quarter due to his stamina.
After finishing the half with a 43-40 lead, SK faltered in the third quarter, allowing Sono to take a 51-52 lead on the perimeter.
In the crunch, it was Warney. Warney hit floaters, threes, and fast breaks to keep Sono’s
momentum going. SK went into the fourth quarter with a 61-57 lead.
Veteran Song Chang-yong was fouled on back-to-back three-point attempts. He
made six free throws and fell behind 63-68.
This time, Heo Il-young came to the rescue. He scored in the middle to narrow the gap.
After Warney’s floater made it 73-70 with just over four minutes to go, SK took the lead
for good with 3:49 left when Heo Il-young converted a pass from Oh Jae-geun into a
neat three-pointer. Oh Jae-hyun and Heo Il-young then hit back-to-back 3-pointers to end SONO’s chase. 19가이드03
